ARTICLES ABOUT CREDIT HISTORY BY DATE - PAGE 5

A freshman Chicago alderman concerned about the potential for a new class of permanently unemployed workers wants to ban the rejection of job applicants because of bad credit histories or gaps in employment. The goal, said Ald. Ameya Pawar, 47th, is to prevent employers from discriminating against people who have hit hard times in the current economy. "If you've been out of work for on average 27 weeks or more, and now employers are saying they are only going to look at people who are employed, you are creating a permanent class of unemployable people, and that's unacceptable," Pawar said.

A freshman Chicago alderman concerned about the potential for a new class of permanently unemployed workers wants to ban the rejection of job applicants because of bad credit histories or gaps in employment. The goal, said Ald. Ameya Pawar, 47th, is to prevent employers from discriminating against people who have hit hard times in the current economy. “If you've been out of work for on average 27 weeks or more, and now employers are saying they are only going to look at people who are employed, you are creating a permanent class of unemployable people, and that's unacceptable,” Pawar said.

DEAR JOYCE: The last two interviews I went on required me to give the employer permission to do a background check on my credit history. Is this a fairly new and legal practice? Why is it necessary? What percentage of employers actually runs credit background checks? As a person who has been hit hard by the recession -- my husband is unemployed, and I was laid off from my job of many years, which forced me to start over in a new profession with a much lower pay scale -- I am very affected by these credit checks.

Nancy Schweitzer paid off her mortgage 24 years early. Now she finally has proof. The Des Plaines resident, you might recall, was put through the financial wringer by Bank of America, which told the credit bureaus she had defaulted on her loan — after she had paid the remaining $64,161.57. Bank officials promised the Problem Solver they had resolved the issue but Schweitzer, featured in the Feb. 20 column, asked Bank of America to put everything in writing. A bank representative told Schweitzer he would send her a letter detailing how the bank had fixed her issues.

Every year since I started writing this column in 1993, I've offered New Year's resolutions for home buyers and sellers, plus New Year's financial resolutions that everyone can use to start their year off right. I start by recapping what's happened in the world of real estate and then move on to some specific resolutions I think will help move the ball forward. This year is, I'm sorry to say, has been lousy for the real estate industry in general: •Roughly 28 percent of homeowners are underwater or are nearly underwater with their mortgages, according to third-quarter 2010 data from CoreLogic.

Dear Amy: Our daughter wants her father to give his blessing to her boyfriend "Jack," when the man tells us in a couple of weeks that he wants to marry her, and we need your advice on what Dad should say. "Jill" is in her early 20s; Jack is 38. They have known each other maybe three months and moved in together quickly. This is the third time in recent years Jill has been in love and gotten a ring. Jill is beautiful, sexy, smart and fun. However, she is irresponsible, mercenary and manipulative with money.

All it takes is a modicum of good news for housing industry analysts to call an end to the recession. Pending home sales ticked up recently, and mortgage interest rates dropped again to the lowest level in more than 60 years. If you've been thinking about refinancing, it's time to develop a plan and get moving before interest rates start moving in the other direction. If you want to have a successful refinance in the current wacky world of mortgage finance, you'll want to take these steps: 1. Go to AnnualCreditReport.

It started innocently enough. In early June, Susan Gabon applied for a Pier One Imports credit card, figuring the application was a mere formality. It wasn't. To her disbelief, the store clerk informed her she had been denied. A week later, a letter arrived from the bank that handles Pier One credit cards. It said Gabon had been turned down because she had recently filed for bankruptcy. Gabon about fell over. The Elgin woman had always prided herself on her clean credit history.

Q My divorce was final two years ago, and in the divorce decree I was awarded the house. But prior to my getting a spousal transfer deed, one of my ex-spouse's creditors put a lien on the house which prevented me from completing a short sale. If one of us or both end up filing bankruptcy, which looks inevitable, is there any way to get the lien removed so the house can be sold and prevent a foreclosure? A You'd have to convince the creditor that the house is worthless and there is no cash coming out of it. The creditor might be convinced by an appraisal of the property and a report that lists what other nearby homes have sold for. If you can reach a decision-maker who understands what you're saying, there's a small chance that this might work out and the lien will be removed.

Should you rent or buy? With home prices still falling, and mortgage rates near record lows, that is a popular question among many potential first-time homebuyers. But if there's anything the real estate boom has taught us, it's that rushing into purchasing a home can be a mistake. "It's a market we haven't seen in years," said Diann Patton, the consumer real estate specialist for Coldwell Banker. "But you want to take your time and make a sound decision." And there is no need to hurry.